Towards The Sun
by missing in imagination
Summary: Miley & Liam leave California for an adventure of travel, culture, and romance- a story of self-discovery, unlimited love, and searching for that place in the world where you can truly call home. Inspired by the book "Eat, Pray, Love". MIAM
1. Summary & Trailer

So this is a test. Would anybody actually enjoy reading a Miam story? I really want to write this and it's all planned out and truthfully, I think you will find some enjoyment and warm fuzzy feelings come out of it if everybody just forgets the fact that it is _not_ a niley story. It's sort of.. "Eat, Pray, Love" meets the movie "Away We Go". Read the summary first so the trailer is less confusing and make sure you play the song "Brooklyn Blurs" during the trailer, along with the lyrics written.

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**Towards The Sun**  
by missing in imagination

**Summary  
**It is December 2010 and Miley is now 18, Liam is 20. After being separated for a few months of filming their new movies, they have moved into Miley's new home that she bought to live in when she turned eighteen. Their relationship, despite the separation, is still going strong with little tension or difficulties- they are very much so in love. However now that Miley has become at ease with her transition into a more mature artist, she is uncertain as to what her place in this world is and if there is anything beyond her fame and career. She craves a break from Los Angeles, the bitter media, and yearns for adventure and experience. This desire heightens when she sits down and reads "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert and suddenly she _must_ see the world through a different set of eyes- eyes other than those of a superstar. So her and Liam pack up the car and leave on a whim, driving towards an open world of global travel, culture, and adventure. This is a story of self-discovery, unlimited love, and searching for that place in the world where you can truly call home. Hope you enjoy.

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**Story Trailer**

_Italicized- _Song lyrics to **"Brooklyn Blurs" by The Paper Raincoat**  
Normal- Dialogue and actions

_1, 2, 3, 4 (guitar to "Brooklyn Blurs" begins)_

"I wish we could travel."  
"Miley, you've been all over the world."

"No," she slides the book across the table for him to see, "I wanna go places."  
Liam stares at her with uncertainty then smiles.

Shows them on the rode driving, Miley is watching the empty landscape out the window.

_I took the N Train in from the ocean  
Up to 14th St. Union Square  
_Miley walking out of her new house, eventually into a book store.  
_  
I swam around with the bodies in motion  
Drank in the people, then came up for air  
_Shows Miley opening up a book and sitting down to browse through the pages.

_And I am a breeze in the still August air  
And I can't believe that I'm still standing here  
_Miley and Liam running through a market, buying food at Wal-Mart, scuba diving.. _  
I am a ghost to everyone I know  
_Shows them below the Eiffel Tower._  
A star stands still above while Brooklyn blurs below  
(music slows down into the bridge)_

_Picture yourself riding under the freeway  
It's 3 in the morning in the sodium sky  
_Liam is kneeling next to Miley's bedside; she is very upset and crying and his hands are holding onto hers._  
Don't be alarmed, it's only a feeling  
No one can see us tonight_

"We don't want to go home," Liam says and Miley shakes her head smiling beneath her tears, "So we won't."

_(Final chorus with girl singing)  
_  
_I am a breeze in the still August air  
_Shows Miley writing on postcards and in a journal, Liam taking pictures, her and Liam embracing in Paris,  
_And I drop my knees with all this beauty here  
_In their hotel room undressing with the light of streetcars dancing around them._  
And I am a ghost to everyone I know  
And it feels so free  
But it's so cold  
_Shows them looking out into a familiar ocean. _  
It's so cold  
When Brooklyn blurs below  
_A taxi is driving them back to her LA home, Miley is asleep on Liam's shoulder. They walk through the front door with their luggage in their hands and are finally home.

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I'm going to look at the feedback to finalize my decision on continuing this. I really hope I can hold onto as much effort as I can to complete it.  
Anybody interested?


	2. Prologue: Los Angeles, California

I would like to give my appreciative thanks to swinglifeawayxx, pariswindspeed, nileylovva, talks too much, .shakeitlikecyrus, silentheartc, nileyfan1, mileycyruscan'tbetamed, and anonymous for your extremely helpful feedback. This one goes out to all who reviewed and shared their thoughts! Here's a nice long prologue, to set up the story. Hopefully it'll get people interested and slightly intrigued ;) feel the adorableness of Miam!

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own these characters, only the fictional journey I have set before them. I do not claim anything of "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert or the song lyrics "Wait" by Alexi Murdoch.

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**Towards the Sun  
Prologue**

There are some very complicated ideas running through this eighteen year old's brain. These thoughts keep building up into a reigning mountain of contradicting truths; so high that she's nearly hit rock bottom. It'd be smart to share them with somebody but she wouldn't dare to even attempt it until she herself has gotten a good grasp on the complications that keep her confused at night and sad during the day. Once this all clears, she assures herself, 'I will be okay.' 'I will get back to what I have, and not what I want.'

Oh but she needs what she wants.

Every person- everybody, everywhere- has a vision of a perfect LIFE tucked under their sleeves. It clings onto their eyelids, their imaginations, and their ears; they can see it, feel like, hear it- but some can't believe in it. They think it's _impossible_, it's unrealistic, it's not practical. They make themselves believe that it is all these frustrating words, yet it is all that they want. Up in the clouds where dreams hang high, there are visions of fame, fortune, friends, family, fulfillment. There are visions of life as a star, a beautiful home, a thousand friends. Miley's got all that. But now that she has it, she wants less of the grand things, and more of the quant things. Like an undisturbed day with her boyfriend. A moment to breathe. Travel without reason, only ambitions. Living without ambitions, only with reason. Her definition of a perfect life has changed.

So she's walking out the door now into the bright sticky air. Her big black boots rile at the dirt that's collected in small piles around the driveway. She attempted to garden last weekend and get in touch with Mother Nature and all but even that she found difficulty in. She grabbed at her bike and swung her leg over and settled down. With her bag slung over her back she started to make her way out of the gated home and rode along the sidewalk silently, just listening and breathing.

It's not that she's being selfish, she decided, it's just that 'I think I deserve something beautiful'. Yes, beautiful. Los Angeles isn't beautiful to her anymore- it's only cold and suffocating, masked by a sunny and celebrity sky. She's been here for about seven years now, she calculates, but only a month ago in November did she move into her own home- the home that was supposed to bring maturity, responsibility, and stability. It's just too big and the rooms too far apart and the halls too wide. It makes her feel like all the empty space is condensing with every step she makes. So that's why she's walking out right now, because she couldn't just sit there waiting for Liam to come home.

She turns the sharp corner onto West Sunset Boulevard ignoring the filthy men with their long lenses creeping around her and hops off her bike and locks it with the toughest lock out there. It'd be a good sell on eBay.

The door chimes with the bells hanging off the knob when she shuts it behind her and in order to avoid any certain craze or recognition she immediately jumps behind a bookshelf and takes a deep breath. There is no noise- only soft jazz playing in the backdrop. The shelves tower from the floor to the ceiling with books upon books packed tightly together. She smiles because she is tricked to think that all the visions and thoughts and concerns that are mountain-piled in her mind are folded into the words of the pages of these stories; like the authors ripped her mental state right out of her and typed it up to make some sort of sense.

She isn't sure what section she's in- or for that matter, what she's even searching for- but just being in the bookstore on a Sunday evening hidden by castles of journeys and stories makes her feel comfortable. The thick bindings with rainbow colors and titles etched along the side entice her and she grabs at one just to see what magic she could pull out. It is something terribly sad so she pushes it right back into its space. The next was just too strange and that wouldn't work either. And the next- just a bit too teeny-bopper happy. The more books she pulls from the shelves, the more she realizes what it is that she's looking for- and that is inspiration to be less of who she already is.

And then she takes out the next potential read and she is magically drawn in through this galactic attachment. "Eat, pray, love", Miley reads aloud, "one woman's search for everything across Italy, India and Indonesia." She sits down, legs crossed beneath her, eyes still on the pages and lets this flood of new feelings and thoughts pour into her and swim around in her veins. Like a revelation.

_"When you're lost in those woods, it sometimes takes you a while to realize that you are lost. For the longest time, you can convince yourself that you've just wandered off the path, that you'll find your way back to the trailhead any moment now. Then night falls again and again, and you still have no idea where you are, and it's time to admit that you have bewildered yourself so far off the path that you don't even know from which direction the sun rises anymore."_

She reads and nearly wants to cry at that overwhelming feeling of knowing that somebody- somewhere out in the world- has felt the same way you do. And now they're okay. And maybe by hearing her struggle and what she did to overcome it, it will grant Miley the inspiration to beat her own endeavors. She continues to read and read because she is so enthralled by the journey of Elizabeth Gilbert. How she just left; parted from her job, her marriage, modern American success; and traveled the world in search of herself and what she truly wanted out of her given life. So maybe… maybe that's what Miley needs to do. 'I would like to meet interesting people', she decides thoughtfully, 'people who will take me as an ordinary girl.' 'Maybe I will see myself in one of them, as if I am living here in this body but my soul is elsewhere. I'd like to breathe another culture, view a simple way of life. I want to just hold hands with Liam. Like just really hold him without a photograph come out of it. This could be good for the both of us. Will he think I am just as senseless about this as I believe myself to be?'

Her phone buzzes in her bag and for the first time since she sat down, she looks away from the book's refreshing words that are moving her towards places she never thought she would gravitate towards. She panics for just a moment when she looks outside the window only to see darkness settling in- which means she totally lost track of time.

"Sushi is on the table. Come home, love."

With a huge smile she shoves her phone back into her bag and stands up to quickly, and inconspicuously, pay for the book. Successfully, she contently rides back home with adventure on her mind.

_Feel I'm on the verge of some great truth  
Where I'm finally in my place  
But I'm fumbling still for proof  
And it's cluttering my space  
Casting shadows on my face_

She puts her bike away in the garage and clamors through the doorway. "Is that you?" Liam calls from the kitchen- but she doesn't answer- and just bounds towards him and hugs the heck out of his very tall self. Her face is smashed up against his back but she manages to say through the squeeze, "I missed you today." He turns around so that they're finally facing each other and replies "I missed you too" as he combs her hair back with his fingers and kisses her softly. They part and sit down at the kitchen table where he's already got the sushi laid out before them. "So what time did your shoot end?" she asks him, wobbling her chop sticks in front of her face while chewing. "I got into the house around 8:30 but I stopped on the way to get dinner. What did you do with yourself all day?" "Oh nothing," she sighs, "Just sort of sat around. I decided to go to the bookstore and was there for a lot longer than I expected." He nods in response and they continue eating silently. The night has now crept in and the bugs of darkness are singing behind the walls. The tv is on in the other room and the sound and the light of it flickers through the empty space like parading shadows. And then she just spills out like her insides have undergone a liberating release.

"I wish we could travel."

Liam looks at her strangely, "Miley, you've been all over the world."

"No," she reaches inside her bag and slides the book across the table for him to see, "I wanna go places."

Liam stares at her with a mix of concern and sympathy. "But why, Miley?"

"Because," she slumps over in a huff, "I think I'm lost."

"Oh yeah?"

"The girl in this book said, "I am a better person when I have less on my plate" and I've realized just that. I have too much! I'm so sick of this material way of living. I'm so ready to trade in all this glamour and status for simplicity and lacking. I've realized that I've done a lot, but there's some things I still want to know. Like I want to know what it's like to go to another country without having to do a concert and press. I want to know how to drive to a different state without being in a tour bus. I want to know what it's like to travel to find yourself, not to sell yourself."

She feels very good at this point. After this outpouring of the thoughts that have been knocking away at her brain, she feels as if she's a deflated balloon but with each new breathe she is rising again. She looks towards Liam earnestly. There is a light that she sees in him- a very forgiving light that tickles through her veins like sun on skin. There is something so selfless and calm about him. This could be an opportunity worth so much more to their love than to Miley herself.

"So let's go."

"But Liam, we can't just go right now."

"Well why not?"

"Because I can't just book out of here, everybody is going to freak out."

"Doesn't matter," he insists, stands up and brings his dishes over to the sink. She can tell his mind is racing too. "We can call your parents tomorrow and let them know what we'll be up to and this week.. we don't even have to be here. We can be wherever you want, being the type of person you want to be. Don't worry about other people, Miley, if this is something you want to do for your own good then do it. I'll be your sidekick through it all."

_December 19, 2010_

_"The only thing more unthinkable than leaving was staying; the only thing more impossible than staying was leaving." – Eat, Pray, Love_

_Tomorrow Liam and I will be driving down south through California with just two duffel bags tossed into the back of his truck. We don't know where we're going or where we'll end up; but for the next seven days, it's just me, him, this book and it's ideas, and the open world. I don't know where I'll be tomorrow. But I really like the sound of that._

_Love & stars,  
Miley- a new girl._


	3. Day One: Venice, California

Once again, thanks for all the reviews. Your kindness is overwhelming and never ceases to put a smile on my face. This is day one of their little adventure- sort of uneventful but it had to be done to ease the story in. Next chapter will be cuter Miam.  
Disclaimer- I don't own these characters or the places that are mentioned. The song lyrics are "We Can Go Anywhere" by Jesse McCartney.

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**Towards the Sun  
Chapter 1**

_You know that sun is shining  
We'll keep driving  
Doesn't matter where  
'Cause we got that open highway  
Leading our way  
As long as you are there  
We can go anywhere_

If calling it "_satisfying_" isn't enough to describe the feelings that are fluttering inside of Miley, then complete liberation and freedom should do the trick. There is a sense of deliverance, rescue, and salvation that is knocking on her bones and awakening her inner being. She feels _alive _and it has kindled a dauntless flame.

The stereo is on loud and the windows are down with the wind sweeping through her short sun-kissed hair, but it isn't what's happening now that is making her excited-it's what will. Visions of glistening waters, a quiet city, and old wise people bustle around her brain. Liam smiles from the driver's seat, recognizing her glowing frenzy, and takes her hand into his and squeezes it.  
_"I'll be you sidekick through it all."_

This is day one of their week-long escape. After dinner last night, Miley called her parents and explained their impending endeavors- without room for negotiation. She said, "I'm eighteen now. This will be my first test into the real world and Liam will be with me. I've got to learn how to handle myself outside of LA. I just really need a break and a moment to think about everything, like who I am and where I belong. I thought I knew these things already but I don't."

"I trust you Miley," her mother sighed through the phone, "I just hope you find what you're looking for."

And after that they packed their bags with only what they thought they'd need; nothing more, nothing less. Miley had tossed in toiletries, jeans, a bikini, and some shirts, and carefully packed the book and her passport on top. By morning, they were on the road.

Now they're heading south, about two hours from the Mexican border, and Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits album is on replay for the second time. It's midafternoon and she notices how the sky is brightening into an orange glow with ripples of purple clouds floating around like big fish in the sea. She lets her arm rest out the window and her legs are stretched out before her on the dashboard and it looks as if she's bathing in the glory of the road. There are giant trees along both sides of the highway, creating a path and direction of some sort, and Miley can hear them whispering. They are blowing magical words into her ears and she smiles and breathes in deeply.

"Do you think we should stop for a few things?" Liam asks, "There's an exit coming up."

"Yeah definitely," Miley responds and so they pull off the raging road and follow signs for Venice Beach. Liam continues driving the truck through winding back streets like they're inside some sort of twisted water slide, until they're spilled out into the center of a very quant beach town.

There is a long drag of open street where vendors dot the sidewalks and where some people are just simply walking together. Eclectic stores line the sidewalk on one side of Maine Street and face the rolling blue ocean on the opposite side. As they drive by Miley spots a man with a bushy beard slumped against a shop whistling through his harmonica, and then a couple walking out of a vegan restaurant with peace written all over their faces. Miley smiles brightly at the sight of these simple people and yearns to live more like them.

"There's a parking spot," she points to an empty space, and pulls on her shoes. They get out of the truck and Liam shuffles over to her side and puts his arm around her as they begin walking down the sidewalk. There are stores with everything organic and natural you could possibly desire. There are surf shops and outside sitting and people friendly enough to nod their head to greet you as you walk by. They feel very comfortable in this atmosphere and it closes in on them like a warm blanket.

"This looks rad," Liam states as they stop in front of a place called Ocean Blue Company. Little wooden carvings and candles etch the windows as they look in. It's the kind of store that looks as if Africa, India, and the 1960's were tossed together, shaken up, and poured out into a fantastic mix of earth, music, and art. The bells on the door handle jingle behind them when they step through the doors, and they are immediately overwhelmed with the thick smell of incenses. Tibetan prayer flags line the ceiling and eclectic musical instruments sit in baskets. Miley looks around through the shelves and sifts through sandalwood soaps, bowls, and Himalayan salt lamps. She breathes in the Egyptian Musk fragrance and smiles again to herself because it is all just so peaceful.

"How bout we get this little dude," Liam laughs from behind her. He has a small Buddha figurine in the palm of his hand and it looks as if it's smiling at Miley with his fat belly and intuitive expression. She leans in and rubs his belly, "It's supposed to be good luck," she laughs and turns away to look through all the other trinkets when she gasps.

"It's perfect," she murmurs and picks up an old Polaroid camera with the gentleness of her fingertips. It is black with white lining and has a leather neck strap still attached to it. It feels good in her hands, like it is finding its purpose within her pulse, and she takes it and a handful of film up to the counter where Liam is standing with his Buddha.

"Wow," he says with a smirk at her arms full of the camera and canisters of film. She releases everything next to the register and smiles satisfyingly.

"This is how we'll tell our kids of all that we did," she says, "Through pictures."

He smiles at the thought of "our kids" and kisses the top of her head. The lady scans all their purchases, but she can't help but glance up at the young lovers in front of her.

"Are you from around here?" she asks. She has dyed-red hair that is tucked under a knit beanie and the brightest green eyes you've ever seen.

"Nope just visiting," Miley smiles nonchalantly and takes their shopping bag before any more conversation could be risked.

They leave the store quickly in an escape to be unseen, and head down the sidewalk. A harmonious sound creeps into Miley's ears and she immediately recognizes the man they had driven by earlier. He has a faded baseball cap pulled over his forehead and his eyes shut within the passion of his music. His jeans and t-shirt that says "Surf4Peace 2004" are a bit raggedy and he smells like smoke but he just pulls that harmonica over his lips as if he was born doing it. Miley is quite captivated by him. It's obvious that he lives for his music and nothing else- not food, clothes, or a purposeful home. She looks at him and their eyes connect for just a moment until they close again and seep into the sound of his song. Liam drops a generous 20 dollar bill into an empty bean can that sits next to his foot. The man then looks up from beneath his cap and nods as a gesture of thanks towards them. And Miley feels good about herself.

"He was good wasn't he," Liam comments as they walk off.

"I loved it," Miley smiles.

"So where to now?" he asks as they reach his truck. They get in and Miley sighs, "I don't know."

She takes the book out of her bag, opens it up and reads, "It says 'let your conscious be your guide'. Well what if I can't even read my conscious? I mean, in the book Elizabeth went to such crazy places like Italy and India and Indonesia.. But what even brought her there? Food? Hot guys? I don't want any of that, I just… I just need the sun."

"I hear there's a pretty big sun in Tijuana," Liam opts humorously, but with seriousness just as much.

"Tijuana, Mexico?" Miley questions as she pulls out her new camera and loads in a role of film. "That sounds sunny."

She raises the camera up to her face and takes a picture of the Buddha that is now sitting quite contently on the dashboard. The undeveloped photo slides out and she watches as the image gradually fades into view; first just a general outline and then the color starts to seep in. And then it is all there, like a double image with the photograph in her hands and the real thing in front of her, and it enchants her because it's like everything is getting clearer for her too.

_December 20, 2010_

_"Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it."_

_On our drive down south, we stopped at this hippie town. It brought me peace and love and a beautiful old camera that will document this trip. It is nice to be out of LA but that feeling of incompleteness is still in me. It is only the first day though. Maybe once we cross the border, all this uncertainty will stay on this side and the new me will be waiting on the other._

_Love & Stars,_  
_Miley_


	4. Day Two: Tijuana, Mexico I

**i own nothing! **

**Towards the Sun  
Chapter 2**

_So we live out in our old van  
Travel all across this land, me and you  
We'll end up hand in hand  
Somewhere down on the sand, me and you  
Just as free  
Free as we'll ever be_

Miley and Liam are walking hand-in-hand, licking at ice cream gelatos, and talking in a very natural, non-celebrity way. They had arrived in Mexico late last night when all the townspeople were asleep in their bungalows and the streets were empty and the only visible light was a midnight bar where drunk men waste the night away. It was empty, but it was homey. So they turned off the car in a vacant parking lot, pulled a blanket up to their chins and slept in the comfort of each other until the early morning market-goers woke them.

There are many locals here. Mostly women carry baskets and fill them with fresh corn and oranges and tortilla flour, and stop at each of the farmer stands that are lined up in dozens of rows. Along with food, there are stands with beaded jewelry and wood carvings and handmade dresses and bags. The strong aroma of tamales, sopas, and dulces stream through the air and it fills Miley's stomach and mind with a fulfilling complacency.

She finishes her ice cream and tosses the remnants into the trash as they walk by. With her hand now empty, she latches it onto Liam's so that she is pressed against his side and stretches up on her toes to kiss a spot on his neck. He pleasantly smirks at that and bends down to take her lips into his own. They have what you would call "a moment"- a serene, beautiful, perfectly happy moment. And then just continue walking down their trackless path of people and food.

The sun is shining down profusely on their bare shoulders as it burns over their heads. Its flame is hot, yet daunting, but it is giving Miley a warmth that she hasn't felt before. She can feel the salt from the ocean air seep into her pores and like some rejuvenating exfoliate; she is renewed through mind and body. But something is bothering her and it's the begging children. Every time she passes one in their tattered clothes and dirty faces, their hands cupped out with pleading eyes, she quickly hands them a dollar bill. And Liam is starting to catch on.

He speaks up, "We're not going to have any cash left by the time we leave here."

"But I can't help myself," she exhales sadly, "They all look so desperate.."

Liam looks at her for a moment and then reaches into his own pockets. "Here," he takes a handful of change out of his pocket, "I'll start over there and I'll meet you in the middle."

"Race ya!"

She rushes to the far right and dishes out dollar bills like it's her job. For every dollar, there's a weight lifted. For every smile, there's a reflection of one on Miley's face. She lets her hair fly through the wind and her money fly out her hands and she just doesn't care. She does not care. Because all Miley needs is love. She has only ever wanted peace with a world of people that make war with the person she is and the raunchy persona she displays on stage. If only those people could see her now, and get off their computers and escape their tiny bubbles of living then maybe it would all be clear: that Miley's heart is bigger than the lies they tell.

She peaks over at Liam who is quickly, yet graciously, handing their money away too. He looks so funny and out of place- so tall and handsome and strong, bending over every child and needy adult giving them a gift that may only pay for two pounds of cornmeal, but a donation none the less. It suddenly comes as a realization to her how special Liam is to her. Maybe it's because of his compelling stature or his endlessly giving heart that makes her hold on to him like he's the only safe person she knows. And maybe it's the fact that he too left everything to travel the world with his girlfriend in hopes of finding her true self..

"Ha I win!"

Liam is already waiting for her with that gorgeous smirk on his face. Her face scrunches up in annoyance of losing and exclaims, "But my side had more people! And you have really long legs! And-"

"Oh but I forgot to mention," he cuts in, "winner has to buy their girlfriend something really cool for being the loser."

She thinks for a moment with a sneaky smile and sticks her tongue out at him. "Fine, I'm the loser then."

They walk back into the bustle of the market and stroll through. There are wooden carvings and maracas and dream catchers hanging from the top of small white tents. Every now and then a dog can be found sleeping in the shade of a table or next to a food stand begging for scraps. Miley likes the simplicity of it all and the feeling of working hard to live not living to work hard. It is a concept that she tucks into the back of her mind to revert back to in time.

"You know what," she stops and faces Liam, "I don't want you to buy me anything."

"Okay," he smiles, as if he's very proud of her selfless decision. And so they walk away from the market and out into the streets.

They start walking down the sidewalk, passing by small restaurants and apartments and dead alleyways. She smiles into the sun and it radiantly smiles back. She is slowly being lifted off the ground to be suspended in a comfortable, floating state where she can look down upon the world and watch. Where she can pick and choose the people she wants to have encounters with and hat on the planet she wants to see. Whatever her heart tells her.

They step into a bar- it's quiet from the morning but there is an air of anticipation as to what crowd the night will bring. And it doesn't matter that it's Tuesday, there is no weekend worth saving all the celebration for just two days- these people party every night, cheer on every breathe of life and celebrate every death. They just _live_; they don't have to be restrained by the day of the week or a schedule or reality. Dreams become reality.

"This is so nice," she says as they sit down on the stools.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," he comments and orders two cold waters for them.

"I'm free," she states matter-of-factly.

He kisses her forehead, "Know where you wanna go next?"

"For once in my life- no," she laughs.

"Agua," the bartender states as he slid the icy glasses towards them. They are wet with condensation and Miley feels brave.

"Where would you rather be right now?" she blatantly asks him and Liam laughs/chokes on his water in surprise.

He rubs his forehead in thought and Miley naively starts to wonder if he even understands English.

"Mi hijo," he sighs and grabs a rag and begins rubbing furiously at the counter. _My son._

"What about your son?" Liam questions and watches the man with his brow furrowed and a storybook past open wide.

"He has a boat," the man says in a very thick accent, "And he sails to the islands, sometimes with other people." He throws the rag into the sink behind him and rests on the counter, looking them straight in the eyes. "I wish to be with him but I can't leave this." He spreads his arms wide and motions to the bar.

"Where does the boat leave?"

"About a dozen miles south of here. His name is Rocio and he has a big yellow boat."

_December 21, 2010_

_It is beautiful here and so are the people. I feel alive. _

**reviews are much appreciated! any miam fans out there? **_  
_


	5. Day Three: Tijuana, Mexico II

**I really liked writing this chapter for some reason and it started to get real long but I just went with it. Lyrics by City & Colour.**

**Towards the Sun  
Chapter 3**

_While I'm off chasing my own dreams  
Sailing around the world  
Please know that I'm yours to keep  
My beautiful girl_

They step inside a small colorful souvenir shop- or more appropriately, a quaint little shack- and are relieved as the stale air conditioning consumes them. Liam shuts the door behind them with a jingle of the bells and walks over to the register where an old woman is sitting on a stool, smoking a cigarette, and silently praying for more customers.

"Do you know Rocio?" Liam asks, slow and clear.

"Que?" she looks at him funny and so Liam repeats, "Rocio, Rocio Valdez?"

"Ay Rocio! Si! Si!" She gets up animatedly and leads him to the single window that overlooks the sea. She rubs the side of her palm on the glass and clears a patch of dust just big enough to see out of. Her long, wrinkled finger points to an old yellow fishing boat that is sitting at the docks, rocking back and forth with the water.

"Gracias," Liam thanks her and walks over to Miley who has found delight within the postcards. She is contently spinning through the rack of cards, some of which say 'Welcome to Tijuana' in big block letters or have a glossy photo of the ocean and say _Paradise_ in a loopy cursive.

"You wanna get a few?" he asks and with a devious smile spins the rack around so that cards of big-breasted bikini models tanning in the sand are suddenly in Miley's disturbed sight. She makes a dramatic noise of disgust and laughs as Liam receives a disapproving slap from her.

"I just want to write to my parents," she says and chooses the Paradise postcard for 50 cents.

They walk down to the docks and spot a man hosing off the boat deck. His brown skin is dark like leather from his endless days in the sparkling sun, but Miley can see the secrets of the sea woven within his flesh. He looks determined, yet bored- stuck in a routine of fishing and occasional tourism too demanding for the wife and newborn waiting for him at home. Her eyes follow the direction of the hose; across the wooden panels and down the sides in a stream of foggy water. The boat's name is painted along the front and Miley thinks it says Libre but the "e" at the end had faded. _Freedom._

A hand painted sign on the dock says:

ROCIO'S SUNSET BOAT CRUISE  
$9 per person  
Leaves at 7pm every night

Rocio turns off the hose and walks over to them with a furrowed brow. "You want boat ride?"

They nod and so he walks away silently, assuming them to follow. The first thing Miley notices are his eyes. They are blue like Liam's- as icy as the arctic sea but as kind as the sun. And they hold something deep- a secret, a truth, a feeling too desperate to hide for so long.

He leads them to step onto the boat. Liam holds her as they jump over the gap between the dock and the boat, where dark cerulean waters splash around, and where there holds a strong chance that Miley would be the one to fall through it. And so he held her tight.

Rocio is not what Miley had expected. She sees in him what she saw in his father at the bar- a desire to leave and be freed from the adversities of his lifestyle and to feel love without the concern of money weighing him down. He wants his family and a warm home and a laugh or a smile. She sees in him what others see in herself. And she felt sad for him, although nobody had ever quite felt that sentiment for her. _('Poor little famous girl just trying to grow up.')_

Liam gives him $20 with every intention of allowing him to keep the change, and Rocio simply mutters a gracious thank you. They go to sit at the front of the boat but after a moment something is tugging so harshly at Miley's soul that she has to stand and walk away. She goes over to Rocio and boldly taps him on the shoulder and she is ready to delve into a history of a man that has not yet been told.

"I met your father," she states and he immediately freezes.

"I have no father," he tells her coldly and continues his work with a shake of his head.

"He wants to be with you, you know," she watches him sink onto the bench that wraps around the boat and so Miley sits down next to him, "He said so himself."

"That the truth?"

"Yeah."

Rocio looks away because his eyes are starting to gloss over in a natural state of tears. "I haven't seen him since I was 17. He loved me, I knew it, but he couldn't provide for his family and I hated him for that. I hated him for having us sleep under a leaky roof and eat just canned beans and rice as he went out to get drunk every night, but now I've got a family too and I don't have a clue what to do."

Miley frowns because she hates to hear of his strife and sorrow. She hates watching a few tears fall down his face, but he swipes them away cause he's gotta look like a man and men don't cry. She hates how he's got a leaky roof while she's got a brand new apartment in a city where people bathe in fame and riches- and she doesn't even like it there. But she listens to his story- his English is strong, but still hidden beneath a thick veil of Latin accent- and she absorbs it all.

"I don't think you should blame your dad," she says quickly, "I think you gotta realize that it's about love, not roofs and beans. And that God's not gonna let you down. He might test your endurance but he won't let you fall."

Miley leaves Rocio in a blind state of happy and concerned. She is glad to have helped somebody but what she is truly blind to is that fact that she is helping herself. She is finding faith again- in love and people and God. And it's helping her gain her balance back with every step she takes.

When another couple comes on board, Miley and Liam are both quite surprised. They are both very animated, rushing onto the boat in a hurry before it leaves the dock. After they get in Rocio starts the grumpy engine, settles down in front of the helm and they set sail.

The four of them are now sitting down without having exchanged many words. Miley is on the end hiding behind Liam's broad shoulders and trying to keep cover as secretively as possible but some things just aren't meant to be held back.

"You're that Miley girl on tv, aren't ya?" Miley shyly peaks her head out from behind Liam and nods. The man bellows a flustered laugh, awed in the presence of a celebrity and asks bewildered, "Well what in the san heck are you doin here?"

"Um," she looks to the ground and wishes so hard to undo this, "Travel is all."

The person next to him, who Miley presumes to be his wife, shoots him a 'look' and smiles warmly. "Well no means to make ya'll feel uncomfortable," she kindly interjects. "I'm Lilly Foster and this is my husband Roy." They both extend their hands and Miley and Liam introduce themselves too.

Lilly is wearing a long flowing beach dress and strappy leather sandals and Miley notices the bright pink lipstick that stains her lips and even a bit of her front tooth that has caught Miley's stare. The man beside her, Roy, is wearing one of those terribly cheesy Hawaiian button-down shirts that stretches over his protruding belly and he's got a big red cooler in his hands. They both speak with strong southern drawls that strangely makes Miley feel very comfortable. They seem harmless, Miley reasons; just a good ole southern couple with warm hearts and chatty tongues.

The sun is setting now and the air around it has exploded into an orange fire. The horizon is just a thin line, separating the burning sky and the dark blue sea, and minute by minute swallows the sun deeper into its hold. The light reflects onto the water, a pathway of rippling yellow from the rocking boat to the still sky and it creeps onto Miley's bare toes.

"Beautiful," Miley comments and with a sigh, leans back on Liam's chest. He wraps his arms around her front and rests his chin on the top of her head. She takes the Polaroid camera that she had bought back in California, holds it out in front of her, and snaps a picture. California feels so long ago; like there's a huge wall between who she was before and who she is now. It's an inexplicable feeling and she troubles with an explanation, even when trying to explain it to herself, and as she attempts to write to her family on the postcard she finds these difficulties troubling.

She watches the faded colors of the unexposed photo ripple into the brilliant sunset that is setting before her eyes. "I gotta tell you something." She turns around to face Liam and crosses her legs indian style.

"Thank you for doing this with me," she says, almost embarrassed, but it still felt good to say.

He smiles, "Can't think of any place I'd rather be."

"Ya'll want something to drink?"

Lilly and Roy have left their spot talking to Rocio and sit next to Miley and Liam. It's quite dark now, the sky not yet black but a very extreme charcoal blue, with the few boat lights and the moon and the stars acting as their only source of light. Roy opens up the cooler he had carried onboard earlier and takes out a few beers.

Liam looks to Miley cautiously and says, "I will only if you want." He was never one to push her into doing anything.

Alcohol is an unfamiliar devil to Miley and she has barely had more than a glass of wine. She always felt that she could have clean, natural fun- more fun than any drink or drug could give her. But she felt safe here, with Liam and these new people. And he knew he'd watch over her. Before she grabs the bottle, she warns herself and promises to have just one.

When the cold liquid falls down her throat, it startles her. It feels smooth and burning at the same time, and she chokes at the sensation.

"Are you okay?" Liam asks with concern written all over his face because Miley is his girl, and he won't let anything inflict her.

"It's gross," she laughs, feeling ridiculous. She immediately wonders how teenagers chug these things down one after another as if it's supposed to be enjoyable. And she shakes her head in disgust.

"Sorry," she apologizes to Lilly and Roy for wasting it, "But I just don't like it."

"That's alright, you only took a sip!" Roy laughs and soon enough the bottle is in his hand.

Liam reaches over to put his unopened beer back into the cooler but Miley stops him. "No Liam, I know you like this stuff. You should drink it."

"Well if you're sure," he says and she nods. Him and Roy delve into conversation and she smiles- happy that Liam is enjoying this time. Lilly is sitting next to her, sipping at her drink and with her sociable nature starts talk too.

"Are you two married?" Lilly asks.

"Oh no," Miley responds surprised, "I'm only 18."

"Really? You seem so mature for your age."

Miley responds blankly: "I had to grow up quickly."

"Well that's alright," Lilly shrugs and uncrosses her legs, "Roy and I met in college and married six months after graduation. He and I wanted to see the world together and share experiences and even though no ring or piece of paper should say what you are together, I have no regrets."

"None at all?"

"Well," Lilly presses her hot pink lips together in thought and takes another sip, "What I gather is that with most things- especially love- if the devotion is there, then you oughta chase after it and make it what it looks like in your dreams. If you can think to yourself all the weird and quirky things about him and still say to yourself you wanna wake up every morning with him beside ya then I'd say that's worth fighting for and to hell with what other people have to say. And I've got 25 years of good marriage and three good lookin kids to prove it."

Miley laughs and looks over her shoulder at Liam. She notices how crazily his foot dances, unconsciously bobbing up and down as Roy tells him about the time he bought a '71 Mustang for just 700 dollars and fixed it up with a fresh coat of fiery red paint and a new engine to make it work mighty fine. And how his face is getting a little prickly because he hadn't been able to shave in a few days and the way he'd run his hands over it in concentrated thought and overblown laughter. His laugh is a mix of a deep throated guzzle like Miley's that fades into a creepy little chuckle but there's nothing else that can get her to smile more than his laugh and his big warm smile. And despite all of that and more, she wants all of him forever.

"I'd like to think we'll get married someday," she says in an almost dreamy state of mind.

Lilly smiles at the reminiscing of _young love. _"You ever talk about it?"

"It never really comes up," she shrugs.

"Well you should," Lilly advises, "Cause you don't wanna be wasting your time."

She thinks to herself for a moment and remembers. She remembers his eagerness to go on this journey with her, and his gentle touch, soft kisses, his concern, his humor, and his readiness to give to people who need things a lot more than they do.

"I'm not wasting my time," she finalizes strongly. "I love him."

"You love him, eh?"

"Yeah," the sea rocks around her and the moon's reflection dances, "I really love him."

December 22, 2010

_"The philosopher Sufi said that God drew a circle around the exact spot you are standing on. I was never not going to be here. This was never not going to happen."_

I feel myself distancing from the traveling celebrity that's reluctant to talk to new people and transforming into a girl that's exploring herself and exploring common experiences and people. Beer is disgusting to me, who would've thought. I'm considering my future more- because it's more than just going along for the ride. I have to have a plan.

We're back in Liam's car and driving to the airport. I'm ready to fly.

**Hope you liked it! **


	6. Day Four: Paris, France I

So I guess a lot has happened since I've last updated this story- school started, the world of college applications started, and Miley and Liam have broken up and gotten back together to my incredible delight. I'm so happy they're together still, I was so sad when I heard they were taking a break and I didn't have the motivation to write about them. But now this is what a four hour car ride gets ya. This chapter is like, what I've written this entire story around. Hope you like it and don't forget to review. Song- Falling For You by Seabird

**Towards the Sun  
Chapter 4**

_I hope this song brings you back to life  
'Cause I can see the fear in those eyes  
I promise you if we just try  
We'll take this wrong and make it right_

A city holds a different air when it's winter. It carries with it a frosty cold and comfortable warmth and a cheery quiet that lingers on the streets. Christmas is in two days. The little stores that dot the sidewalks stay open till late at night and people casually pass by, leaving glances at the window displays and mull over the consideration of purchasing one too many gifts for their lover. The sun is quite distant and hidden behind puffy gray clouds of snow, but every hour or so it will peak out and smile at the Parisians strolling along the Seine River, chatting over a baguette and espresso, and spreading kisses on each other's cold-bitten faces.

She's not a Parisian but Miley feels like one. She feels lovely in the oversized sweater that makes her look tiny and fragile and her combat boots that make her feel real tough. She laughs as Liam erases his Australian accent and attempts to speak with fancy French words; he says, "Vous êtes belles" and Miley's cheeks turn rosy and she shoves him playfully.

Miley likes to watch the people that they pass and she studies their character with cool intellect and careful consideration of who they are and not who they seem to be because she would rather people judge her in the format anyway. There are two old woman on the park bench talking with pursed lips and mitten hands, a mother with a stroller of delicate twin girls, and a student with books and shopping bags in hand. She feels that she can hear their conversations and their untold stories and she wonders if people can read her as well as she thinks she can read them.

"I mailed the postcard at the airport," she mentions, "I sent it to my mom, just telling her where we'll be and how good this has been."

They keep walking through the streets as it funnels into a small side street filled with a market. Two days ago they were somewhere similar, but it was Mexico and it was warm and Miley feared everything but now she's living freely. And it's funny, because now that she isn't worrying, not a single camera has found them, nor a single person has shouted her name..

_Hi Mom & family,_

_I bought this postcard in Mexico- Tijuana, actually- but I'm writing it in on a plane to Paris. It's hard to believe that we've been gone for just 4 days cause it feels like weeks. I've learned a lot about people and seen more than I ever thought I would. Liam is taking care of me, and we're being good for each other. The nightmares have stopped and my mind is clear. You don't have to worry, we'll be home soon._

_Love always,  
smiley Miley_

They are eating dinner at a nice restaurant and Liam notices how the candlelight creates an ethereal glow on Miley's face and he watches the flame flicker in her eyes. He likes how her hair is pinned up to show the many piercings that dot her lobes and you can just faintly read her tattoo, _LOVE. _It is inked on the inside of her right ear and he always whispers words of the lovely-sort into it.

"You've changed," he says softly and she looks up from her food with a smile. "You're not.. scared anymore."

"You're right, I'm not," she agrees and tries to bring her emotions to words. "I was thinking about how this all happened, and I believe it all amounted to change. After I came home from shooting the movie, I wasn't used to going back to nothing because Hannah was done. And then the paparazzi just got too insane and I don't know why but it was starting to get dangerous to the point where I didn't want to leave the house. And when I'm alone with myself a lot, I start to think too much and then I worry about life. My problem with achieving so much so soon is that I was beginning to wonder what more was left for me."

"You've got a lot left, Miles," he felt her hand find his hand under the table and squeeze it, "Knowing you, you've got the rest of your life mapped out."

On the plane last night, Miley was reading "Eat, Pray, Love" and in it she read "_You must find another reason to work, other than the desire for success or recognition. It must come from another place."_ So she started to think about what other place it could come from. She could do some charity work, she reasoned, and volunteer around the world. She should be more selective of the movies and music she does, and do it because she wants to not because she has to. Moving away from Disney was a good first step in that direction. Or maybe she could stop all this and go to school. She never really thinks about college anymore, as if it's just a lost cause- impossible, unrealistic. But it'd probably be for the better to have a degree in something, a subject that inspires her. Like a music teacher or photography, or animal science. No matter what she does, Miley realized, it must come from her heart.

Once they finished their dinner, they stepped out into the cool air under a starry-black sky. It feels like a holiday dream with Winter curling around their noses and nipping at their eyelids. The street lights shine down, making circles of yellow light on the streets as taxis and people buzz by. Not knowing what street they are on or what time it was- they don't care- they follow the direction of the Eiffel Tower. Its skeletal structure is wrapped in lights and it glitters upon the city and dazzles Miley and Liam with its romanticism. It is a truly picturesque night.

Miley breaths in deeply and finally allows her mouth to speak before her mind. "I'm going to be very honest in a second and I don't want to freak you out."

"Okay," Liam laughs, "Go for it."

"How far into our relationship have you thought about?" Miley stares at the ground, sort of nervous and unbalanced.

"As far as forever," he says and his hand lifts Miley's face to look at him. "I know where I want us to go but I believe in going one day at a time. As far as love goes, I don't think you can really plan it out."

"Because the lady on the boat yesterday asked if we ever talked about getting married." Miley winced at the word, waiting for him to too but he didn't. "And we've never talked about it at all."

"Just because we've never talked about it doesn't mean I've never thought about it," he says as they sit down on a ledge with the tower above them. Miley sinks into his side and he holds her right there.

"Me too," she says, ".. And I think I'd like to one day."

"I'd like to too.. to be married and make sure you're happy and build you a quiet little home where we can live out our days.."

"That sounds nice," Miley smiles and reaches her hand up to cup his face and he kisses her. At that moment, lying beneath the Eiffel Tower below the stars and deep dark sky, a sense of purity and wholeness overwhelms them and lifts them through the atmosphere and out of the universe. Every move they make is a choice they make; a choice to fall into unconditional loving and not to come back out.

_'Cause I'm fallin'  
I've fallen for you  
Oh darling, it's finally true  
And someday, I'll break your fall too  
'Cause I'm fallin'  
I'm fallin' for you_

It's almost twelve am which means it's nearly tomorrow, Miley reckons, and that's a weird thing to think about because this moment will be yesterday and tomorrow is only a minute away. Miley is washing up in the bathroom of their hotel and the scenes of the night keep replaying over and over in her mind like a film reel and it puts a smile on her face every time. She wonders when she got so lucky in love, but you know, it wasn't always this way. There are moments of truth that have faded behind the happiness.

Miley and Liam were plagued with distrust and secrets and tearful forgiveness. Just three months ago, Miley was here, in Paris, without him. It was their first long term separation when Miley left him the summer to film LOL. She got confused and so did he as their lips and limbs touched those other than each other. They lied to each other and forgot what they had tried so hard to keep alive, and so they tried to fill a loneliness so strong it nearly permanently ripped them away. But the truth is Miley is just a flirt and Liam's charisma is too enthralling to resist, and so the positives of their character distracted them both those lonely and unsettling months. Until the day she came home and he was waiting at the airport for her. And she fell into him sobbing. He told her he'd make it okay again. And he did.

She walks out of the bathroom and Liam is lying atop the sheets with just his basketball shorts on. His mind is blankly watching the television as Miley takes in his body- so strong and enduring- and its sights like these that untame her. She crawls over to him, silence mixed with the creaking of the bed and the voices from the movie playing in front of them, and rests her head on his bare chest and hugs him tightly. She closes her eyes and smiles after she softly kisses a spot on his skin. He plays with her hair until the movie ends and the credits scroll down the screen in quick sweeps. She's nearly asleep but her insides have never felt so alive. He shuts the tv off and then reaches over and turns off the lamp with her still on him. They are quickly enclosed in darkness except for the streetlights outside the window highlighting the wanting expressions on their faces. The Eiffel Tower is now just a small object in the distance, like a little Christmas ornament swaying on the branches of time. She lifts her head up so that her chin is resting on his chest and he is absorbed into her deep, deep eyes.

"Love you, Miles," he whispers fingering her hair back.

She smiles, takes a moment of sensual thought, and reaches forward to kiss him. He kisses her back and she does too and they keep going like this because they don't want it to stop like it always does. It doesn't stop.

She undresses with the light of streetcars dancing around her bare stomach. White on white, ghost skin on transparent bed sheets, he holds himself over her and kisses her eyes, her mouth, her neck, her love, and she unties the binds of innocence wrapped around her wrists and ankles, she is free, she feels beautiful, she is so strong;

Pain. Just a little. It's a bitter sweet moment, a little red, a little white, and then a little bit of everything. And like the first time for anything, the wonder of it all sticks to her like glue and she feels pure and dirty at the same time until he whispers love into her right ear. And love is all she feels.

December 23, 2010  
_  
"L'amor che move il sole e l'altre stelle.  
The love that moves the sun and the other stars."_


	7. Day Five: Paris, France II

This is Paris chapter Part II. Sorry it takes so long to write a chapter, but school and college applications is overwhelming. It's not that I'm neglecting it, because I'm going to finish this, but I have to wait for the right source of motivation, time, and inspiration. And so, after I heard about the recent Miley news, this was evolved. Song is "Carry You Home" by Nashville Skyline, I don't own anything, etc. And I know I said last chapter was the height of the story, but this most definitely is it and you'll see why.

* * *

**Towards the Sun  
Chapter 5**

_You're not the only one isolated and undone  
So many miles to go,  
Well I know, I know  
I know you think that you've been down,  
You never know when things will turn around, turn around_

_(in her mind)_

"This is your fault you know"

But they had told her over and over again that it wasn't.

"We could still be a family"

Because now, they are torn.

"Go ahead, Miley, run away"

She already did.

"It's simpler without you anyway"

A flash of light and a cold, stark wind. There's a beach and she knows not because she can see it but because she can feel the waves crashing at her ankles and snaking up her weak calves. She's shaking and there's a tremble deep below the earth where the tectonic plates diverge and hell opens wide.

The voices- the heavy, crushing noise- keeps her solid upon the sand like a tree whose roots grow out like toenails and stretch into the ground. She's suddenly become tied down. She is attached to a revolving world and the only way for it all to stop is to cut her down completely, branch by branch, leaf by rotting leaf. Each of their words is a notch in her side.

Now _divorce_ is etched into her life's resume, her list of experiences and hauntings and fears; it's just another way to spell _failure_. It's just another word to define "too much money, too soon" or just too little of everything at best. It started in the summer, when the house was getting too stuffy of heat and fury, and she went to film LOL and came back to shattered love. Now it wasn't just her and Liam who held the struggles and differences, it was Mommy and Daddy. Mommy and Daddy who were always the sight of true love to her innocent eyes. Mommy and Daddy who held the family together through move after move, job after job, Tennessee to Canada to California, Hannah Montana to 'Next Brittany Spears'. Mommy and Daddy, who held her.

So it must be her fault because the voices are screaming to her and they're forcing her to believe. She ripped this family into pieces. It's been proven that love is not what she thought it was all along.

"Miley!"

She twists around and Liam is running towards her like a frightening shadow and for the first time, he does not bring peace, only a horrifyingly whipping wind. He is transparent, like he's already halfway vanished. He chases after her with huge wallowing breaths as if she too is nearly gone and it scares her- because she isn't moving.

"I have to tell you something," he rushes and yells against the voices of the wind.

She looks at him and a furious flood of tears starts to fall from her eyes. She doesn't know why; maybe it's the chaos and the black sky; her fear of the unknown; of not knowing what tomorrow will be like.. if there will be a tomorrow.. if there will be anything left at all. Her tears collect with the ocean as it creeps high above her knees. A great pressure is developing behind her eyes, and the wind is roaring like a freight train in her ears and time is running out, she knows it, she's begging for it.

"Yes, tell me Liam," she cries hysterically and the noise just keeps getting louder, "what do you have to say, tell me!"

The wind is picking up and her grungy hair is in her eyes and ears and the nausea is lifting her stomach to the sky and dropping it back down. His words are slow and they stutter out of his mouth and she hates him for it- _please let this nightmare end_

"I.."

"Liam, tell me!"

"_I can't love you anymore!"_

As the water reaches her chin, everything is quiet. She can feel the earth moving beneath her, separating and opening, welcoming her to a grave eternity. Her muscles unclench and she's ready to fall to the bottom. She wants to. She is utterly starved. Miley is love and love has been lost. Without it- without giving or receiving it- she is a hollow shell of skin and bone, a bloodless pumping heart and soiled mind. As the seawater bubbles at her lips she mutters, with quivering uncertainty, a final question.

"Why not?"

"Because," he shrugs and watches as the sea swallows her slaughtered soul,  
"You're everything they say you are."

_(through her eyes)_

She wakes up with a shake and sits up. Her heartbeat is speeding and everything is sweaty with scare. It all felt too real, too true, and it sticks to her fearlessly as she tries to regain composure. But she cannot. She flees from the bed as if the tangled sheets were the drowning ocean waves and drags herself to the window. She reaches her fingertips to the frost-cold glass and breathes out, so that a sticky fog spreads into a patch on the window as a physical reminder that she is still alive. It's 3 o'clock in the morning but cars and taxis still drive by. A few drunk people stumble down the sidewalks and a dog or two barks into the night. It's the very early hours of Christmas Eve, it's December 24, 2010, but nothing has changed more than everything has already.

The Eiffel Tower glitters in the distance and she thinks about God. Among everything else over the past few years, she has lost her faith- her solid, stable, undeniable faith. She doesn't want to think that this is all for a reason, that somebody had sat up there and wrote her story before she even gets to have a say in it. _Breakdown_ shouldn't be such a large theme in it and _Loneliness_ shouldn't be the main character. She'd rather believe in something less narrow and a little more reasonable, because e_scape_ never should have been an option for her to run away from her enemies and fears. She feels sick for having left, but can't stand to think of returning; and through all this mental and emotional processing, suddenly, a few virgin tears seep out from the corner of her eye.

"Shit," she mutters angrily when she realizes what she's allowing herself to do and swipes them away. Her vulnerability is bleeding out her skin and she hates it because Teen Queens/Disney Princesses aren't taught to cry. They're forced to suck it all in and be pretty (never sexy), thoughtful (never honest). She hates herself so much for letting it all get this far- far enough for her to have lost herself, amidst achieving it all. Now she's just a cause for separation, a wreck, the new Bad Girl, she's singing about sex and getting tattoos and is it all just a phase or is it trying to prove she's unscathed? Or rather has it only proved to be a rebellious attempt to face reality. She's hates herself _so_ much more than she thought and so she breaks down.

Liam is still asleep but the empty space beside him and her helpless sobbing sounds lift him out his own startling dreams. His eyelids stutter open. The forsaken feeling in the air is enough to make one cringe, and he immediately sits up and rubs his eyes clear. His eyes wander frantically; first at her abandoned sleeping spot, the locked hotel door, then at the window. He breaks into pieces when he finally sees Miley, curled in a ball on the ground next to the window where the moon is shining down on her with a solicited light.

"Miley," he says in a broken voice and stumbles out of bed until he desperately falls beside her. She's crying miserably with her face in her hands and he quickly takes her onto his lap. He holds her as tight as he can because you can't break something so fragile if it's already been broken and she's in pieces. "Miley, Miley," he rocks her like a baby and whispers over and over again into her hair, "You're going to be okay, I'm gonna fix you, don't cry" but she keeps going. She's dissolving all four seasons, ten albums, two tours worth of overwhelming terror and she continues to cry and melt into him.

The funny thing is how you can stand next to a person and never see that they're hurting. Behind Miley's clenched smile is a demon that convinced her it was always her fault, that love is condemned, that complacency just isn't for her. It was never part of the plan. Miley, you can be a dreamer but hey, you're never gonna be content. You're always gonna be searching for more. Your life will be a constant battle towards the sun.

He lifts her to her feet and guides her to the edge of the bed. She puts her red face back into her hands and stays there for a moment. The insatiable sobs fade into sharp inhales, but the emotions stay, as she slowly seeps back into reality. "Oh my god.." she whispers to herself as it's all being realized, "what the hell have I become.."

Liam wipes her hair away from her wet eyes. "Tell me what happened."

She explains the nightmare and how easily it consumed her mind. How she felt like it was real and she was suffocating. How she wanted to die- to just end. She tells him of the guilt that has eaten away at her pride and all she thought she knew has drastically changed. She says how she can't believe that it's not her herself to blame for the "_irreconcilable differences_" that drove them apart.

"I don't know what love is anymore," she says, but Liam looks inside her eyes and he doesn't believe her.

"You may not know what love is but I know you believe in it," he says. "You believe in music and in art, in the power of wise words and expression. It's the way you used to see this world as endless and bright. These things all make you, _you_- you are love, Miley."

She sits there in silence. He watches her patiently as the streetcar lights paint her face in yellow and red. They make her warm and glow. He sees her and she is beautiful.

"I will love you," he begins desperately, "And I will protect you from what has been hurting you. I will see to it that you be happy and proud of who you are as all your insecurities drift away. I'm here and I love you and I will love you till you die and after that still. I will hold you every night if you need to cry, I will stay with you and ease you back to life. You're going to be okay and we're going to fight until it is."

"We don't want to go home," he says lastly and lets her fall back into him as December's isolation turns away with a final glance, "So we won't."

_In December,  
Together we'll climb  
And I'll carry you home._


	8. Day Six: Tybee Island, Georgia

I began writing this chapter 3 weeks ago, but its taken me that long to be extremely happy with it. This is the second to last chapter, well sort of, unless I make the next chapter an epilogue. Oh and some major things! Make sure you go to my profile and_ watch the trailer I made for this story and also the playlist_ I created with all the songs I've used for each chapter and also that inspired me to write. There's two links on my main page so make sure you check them out. Oh and something that I'm obsessing over- if you start to search "missing in imagination" on Google, all my Fanfiction stuff comes up on that drop down menu. Even Voices! I guess that means people are actually searching for me on Google? Pretty cool!  
I don't own anything!

**Towards the Sun  
Chapter 6**

_Come on, come on  
You have got to move on  
This is not the you I know  
This isn't real, it's just all you can feel  
And that's the way that feelings go_

He gently stands over her. Her breaths, finally slow and deep, rise and fall like a wave that rolls along a shallow shore. He patiently waits for her to come alive as if just the fluttering of her eyelids would signal the return of a lively, brilliant girl.

As broken as she is, she does appear to be whole. Like a doll, she is wound into the crisp white blankets with her hair fanned out around her. Her face is flushed with heat and emblazoned with the sticky skin of the night's tears. Last night still lingers over both of their heads- it stabs at his heart and rips apart her mind. At this moment she appears to be content, but it's her clenched fists and wet eyelids that tell otherwise.

Liam pauses from his helpless watch over her to continue his previous work. Hushed and dismayed, he moves about the room picking up their scattered belongings and packing them inside their bags. He moves by the window and sees Parisians passing by in a continuous flog of routine and haste. It is fascinating, to watch people rush by and run through life, as if that in fact is normal- but it shouldn't be. He continues, and at Miley's bedside he finds the alarm clock twisted around and shoved into the wall. The fluorescent light had given her a migraine last night, as she forced herself to fall asleep after her outpouring of emotions. She had stared at it in the darkness for hours. She had watched the digits click and change shape, until it was her, in her dreams, who could change at the click of a passed minute. Who could move gracefully with time.

He turns the clock around; it reads 7:28. He gained five hours of sleep last night, at the most. He pushes it away as his knuckles brush against thickly bound paper and leather. He looks down and finds a matted, old journal- black, scuffed, and frayed at the edges. Liam had caught her many times writing in it, both before and during their trip. At those moments, she is completely fixed on her words with her brows furrowed and her tongue pressed against her cheek, as she fills the pages with confessions and claims that she, in her right mind, feels are better left unsaid. He picks it up and with no intentions of being invasive, he opens it.

Two objects fall to the ground and he quickly bends down to pick them up. One is a Polaroid. He smiles brightly, as an image of Miley and him appear before his eyes. Their faces, tan and tired, shine beneath the setting of the Mexican sun. He remembers when Miley took this; when they were on the boat and spoke with the couple who had realized who she was but continued to treat her normally. She never revealed it, but he knew how happy that made her.

He recognizes the second object and with confusion, flips it over. It is the post card that she had bought to write to her family. It is fully written with her message, labeled with the address and everything, however it clearly remains unsent- even after she had told him she mailed it at the airport. It doesn't make sense to him but with her sudden adjustment of sleeping position in the bed beside him, he quickly places the photo and postcard inside her journal and puts it inside her bag.

He holds his breath, watching her wearily. Her eyes squeeze tightly, and then flicker, gradually entering the real world again. Her hands leave their clutch on the pillow and rest upon her face. All is silent and breathless until her broken voice calls out forsakenly. "Liam.." she murmurs, muffled by the palm of her hands and in a second, he is by her side.

He drags himself up the bed so that his back rests against the headboard and so he can pull her against his chest. She lets out a shaky, painful exhale and closes her eyes to the gentle brush of his fingertips through her hair. They dwell like this for a desperate moment, wordless and soft, and his lips reach for her forehead and stay there.

"It's my turn to choose where we go next."

_When the cloud in the sky starts to pour  
And your life is just a storm you're braving  
Don't tell yourself you can't lean on someone else  
Cause we all need saving sometimes_

The plane drops, drifting through the clouds like a feather falling through the sky. The sun is yellow and bright, and its golden hands guide them across the miles of blank, dark blue sea. From an altitude it looks like a sheet of black ice, untouched and pure, but as they inch closer to land, small tufts of white-top waves curl across the vast emptiness and Miley counts them, with her head pressed against the small window and her lips whispering at the expanse of it all.

She has no idea as to where this plane is taking her; she just knows that she has put her entire trust in Liam, hoping that he will take her where she needs to go. He's allowed her to be silent for the duration of the 10 hour plane ride; except for her stern "no" when the flight attendant asked her if she wanted something to eat. Her insides felt empty at this hour, screaming at her to be filled, but she ignores the feeling- she wants to feel the void.

But every now and then, her fingertips crawl across her lap and she holds his hand. Her eyes, still gazing outside the window, warm a bit and in the reflection of the thick glass he can see a slight smile- a glimmer of hope- that assures him that with time, she will heal. And then, her eyes falter and with the heat of the sun over her shoulder, she naps and gains the hours she lost last night and the sleep she has been deprived of for years. Mid-afternoon, she is fast asleep again and her body seems to appear much lighter than before as if with the plane, she has been lifted too. He watches her, like he had this morning, and although the stab of worry and concern still pains him, hope is taking over.

With Miley, Liam realizes, it isn't a matter of finding her breath- it's to keep her breathing. To keep her going strong, walking with her head held high, until the day she can repel the impressionable forces that society has put upon her. She _will_ be able to do this, he reasons, but only after her thoughts have come full circle. When she too feels the strength that he has always seen. When she, above all things, can be comfortable. As the rise and fall of her chest wallows in the soft hum of the airplane, he discovers such a strong feeling in his chest. It puts his heart in a race and music in his ears, and the only explanation he can find is that of true devotion- to her.

Back in Miley's mind of sleeping dreams, things are quite tranquil…

_(in her mind)_

There is a certain way the sea looks after a storm. The horizon is always blurred and the separation between sky and water disappears. It looks as if you are looking out into one giant expanse of white fog where the word is boundless. Miley feels as if she is standing in the middle of a cloud and floating in the hands of a god.

Her hair, combed and smooth, sways with the way of the breeze and brushes against her pale pink cheeks. Where tears had furiously poured out of her eyes in her dream world the night before, now there is dry skin, salted with sea spray and speckled with sand. She feels weightless and smiles at the sun that is slowly appearing through the depths of the sky. It warms her shoulders and the marks on her back from the wind that had sliced her and the scars on her heart from the voices that had beaten her down.

Miley turns away from the pearl grey sea. Everything is silent, except for the sound of sand flattening beneath bare feet. She awakens her glossy eyes and she watches as her family fades into the shadowed space before her, as if they had just passed through different dimensions. Their faces all have a single expression of peace and amity and that alone, makes the fear of their appearance fade from Miley's mind.

"We never meant the things we said, Miley,"  
they glide toward her, reaching for her beneath the shadows.

"We love you,"

"And we miss you,"  
her mother steps out of the heavy shade with her silvery gold hair flowing around her.

Her dad smiles, calm and patient,  
"Come home, Bud."

She feels a feathery touch on her shoulder and it's Liam and she feels strong.  
"Come home."

_Come home, come home, come home_

She awakes to the light of the sun shining through the window where her head rests. She releases a long, airy breathe and moves her hands to her neck then to her face to rub her eyes. She sighs again and pats her hands down on her knees satisfyingly and looks to her left. Liam is asleep, snoring quite embarrassingly which makes her laugh (for the first time in a while) and she reaches over to place a gentle kiss on his cheek. He stirs and his eyes flutter open to her glistening expression and she looks- could it be?- _happy_.

"Hey," he says groggily and stretches. He's shocked by her sudden change in mood, almost scared to touch her, and waits for her to speak because he honestly does not know which words he should say.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom," she states, "Before the plane lands."

"Alright," he answers, watching her suspiciously, "Be careful."

With a nod of her head, she unbuckles her seatbelt and squeezes past him. Liam watches her as if in a trance, wondering if he ever actually woke up.

When Miley had decided to get up to go to the bathroom, she didn't realize that she had to walk the entire length of the plane to get there. People. Faces. Opinions. Questions. She swallows hard and takes a step forward. She walks quickly, avoiding eye contact with anybody but the floor, until she arrives at the unoccupied bathroom, slides through the small door, and locks it tight.

She looks over her shoulder and catches herself in the mirror. She turns towards it and again, she lets out a long sigh. She stares at herself thoroughly, looking at her image as if seeing a long-lost friend for the first time in years. She sees how her hair, unkempt and lacking a shower, falls around her face; covering her. She takes the bobby pin in her jean pocket and pulls it away from her eyes. Then, she turns on the faucet and splashes a palm of cold water onto her skin, washing away some of the eyeliner that is still smudged under her eyes.

And then, she looks a little deeper and recalls her dream. She revives her feelings of acceptance and comfort and remembers the way her dad called her "bud" like he used to when she was 13 years old, or how her mother's big eyes begged her to move forward. She was tricked into believing that she had torn them apart when really, it was her who kept them together.

She never mailed the postcard because she didn't want her family to know where she was, what she was up to, or how he felt. Because for once this was for her and not for anybody else; not for a record company, a movie producer, or her career. It was for her _life_, her state of mind, and her well-being it was for her and Liam's relationship, more proof for why he was the one to love and trust whole-heartedly; who would actually care for her and put the broken pieces back together. One who would take her pride and leave her genuine and cool. This was for her life after the fame and glory- to know that there are other options and goals and dreams, that she doesn't have to stay in Hollywood to be followed forever. Miley, like all people, has the power to choose a pathway and direct herself through it at her own pace and will. Miley can be anything.

"I can be anything," she restates aloud, boldly looking at herself through the mirror, "This is _my_ life."

With that, she unlocks the bathroom door and slides it open. She takes a deep breath, and turns towards the aisle. She walks down but keeps her head held high, dismissing her fear of the people that tries to rack her brain. She catches the eye of one specific person- a girl who appears to be her same age- and instead of cowering away and praying to all gods that she won't recognize her, Miley smileys softly. The girl smiles back, quietly and reverently, and so Miley continues on her way to her seat.

_"from the center of my life ,there came a great fountain" (Eat, Pray, Love)_

She had been on this beach before. The air is cooler now and the sky a little grayer, but through her eyes it is still the same. Stingrays is still a short walk down the street- they had stopped to eat there once they arrived- and where they had filmed a few scenes is just to the right of them. When Miley had realized Liam had taken her to Tybee Island, she jumped into his arms in the middle of the Savannah Airport. The wholeness she felt overwhelmed her and that moment- that day- could not have felt more perfect. It was as if he had wrapped a bandage around her body and soul; and the healing began.

They are now shuffling along the water's edge. The tide creeps up at their bare feet and washes away their footprints, dragging shells against the sand.

"You know.. I feel like I've just gone back in time," she says and kicks at the sand, "Like I just re-lived the first time I came here."

Last summer she was sobbing on her mom's lap, counting the miles that distanced her further and further away from L.A. She arrived with a broken heart after ending things with Justin, and felt thrown into something that she had never experienced before. She was scared and it had showed on her face the first day he met her. But he was happy to know that by the time August came around, she was really happy with the person she came out as.

He keeps walking beside her and, holding her hand, tries to speak his words as gently as possible. "Since last night.." he begins, "It looks like you've changed a lot, in just a few hours. Why?"

"My dreams," she states blankly.

"What'd the voices say this time?"

"They told me to come home."

She stops mid-step and drops to the sand, pulling her knees to her chin. "I'm not going to worry anymore. You shouldn't worry, you know?" She looks up and asks him straight in the eye; he sits down next to her and listens. "Cause really- if you think about it- nothing is important enough to get stressed out about. We all are born, we all die, no matter what happens. So why should I sit here and think about it? It's like I'm too busy wondering if I'm living my life to all its potential to even attempt to live life at all. It's stupid how we think like that."

Liam looks at her and then out at the water. And he begins to say what he wanted her to know since day one of their adventure, but waited for her to realize it for herself. "I think that.. a person's biggest mistake may be believing that their true self is hidden, waiting to be found in some faraway place," Miley stares straight ahead and suddenly, tears come as she listens, "Maybe it's just waiting for you at your doorstep until you come home."

Miley pushes her toes deeper into the sand and just watches. She watches details that often go unlooked, like the way the water wets the sand then fades away, seeping through the pores, falling through the earth. How a single seagull scours the land recklessly against the heat of the sun. How Miley's heart is still beating strong at the sight of this familiar sea and love- young and wild- sitting beside her. The tears that tumble down her cheeks aren't furious and thick, as they were last night. They simply slide, smooth and light. They are the surrender she's been looking for this whole time. Like friends, they whisper comforting words, they tell her 'it is okay' 'the storm is over' 'you can breathe, it is safe to go home'. They drip down her chin and fall into the sand and as this happens, she silently watches her worries liquefy in the sand she's surrounded by.

As humans we are constantly unsatisfied. There will always be a vision in the distance- how unattainable it may seem- that beckons to us and calls our names deceivingly. Society has influenced us to believe that you must never be content, strive for more, spend your money and work for more. But this journey that most go on to discover themselves is not selfless and brave. It is cowardly, as we flee from that which haunts us. Instead of escaping what you do not like, you must evaluate what it is that causes this unhappiness and find ways to change it. Sometimes all you have to do is step outside, take a deep breath, and remind yourself who you are and who you truly want to be- not run away. Because at the end of your travels, you still have to come home- it's what you bring home with you that's important.

Liam finds her hand and pulls her to her feet. He brushes the sand off her back and runs his thumb beneath her wet eyes and smiles. She smiles back. In that moment, they saw themselves for who they truly are. They saw a home.

Why the miles? Why a road trip, plane ticket, or sail? Why is that we look for ourselves elsewhere, far beyond our reach, when we should be searching within. There is no greater version of ourselves than the one that hides in the depths of our soul. Your heart can carry you miles away to lands of unusual causes however it is your soul that makes the evaluation. It decides which people, places, and experiences are worthy of causing change.

And although we are never satisfied, that is what makes it alright to be human- the fact that we are constantly moving and evolving. The tears we cried last night will not be the same that we will cry today, tomorrow, or next year. It always leaves room for improvement.

So what is self-discovery anyway? Is it traveling miles in a hunt to see yourself eye-to-eye? Is it a desperate chase for purpose? Or maybe people leave because they don't like the person they see; and they believe that somewhere in the world is our replica, who is all that we dream we should be. That person who lives fearlessly, with courage and with heart. Who is inspired and artful. Breathing openly. Always smiling. Confident and true. Beautiful and unique, gracious and fringing to both yourself and others. The problem though, is that you can't be sure of anything until you see it for yourself and even then, you may as well find yourself blind in the face of enlightenment.

At the end of the journey it is not a new version of ourselves that we have obtained- it is the same person that we've been staring so unhappily in the mirror all along, but who has now developed through experiences and exposure to unfamiliarity. And for whatever reason, under the strange basis of human perspective, that makes everything okay again.

Life isn't about finding yourself- it's about creating yourself.

Miley brushed sand off her elbow, closed her eyes, and breathed. For the first time in a long while, she was ready to go home.


	9. Day Seven: Los Angeles, California

**FINAL CHAPTER! I want to thank all who have stuck with this from the beginning many months ago and who have reviewed so lovingly. This was a story I didn't write because I felt like I had to. I wrote it because I love it, I believe in what it professes, and above all, I believe in Miley. Thanks to all my faithful readers- you know who you are and you mean more to me than you'll ever know. _Keep a look out for something new from me- possibly a Niley story or a Hannah Montana story following the characters after the final episode. I would love some feedback on that too!_  
**

I do not own these people, the book "Eat, Pray, Love" or the song Alive Again by Matt Maher.

**Towards the Sun  
Chapter 7**

_I woke up in darkness, surrounded by silence  
Oh where, oh where have I gone?  
I woke to reality, losing its grip on me  
Oh where, where have I gone?_

_'Cause I can see the light, before I see the sunrise_

_"Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it."_

LAX airport is insanity and whether that is because it is the day after Christmas and people are rushing home, or it's because of her, she can't tell. People are pushing around her without even a second glance, which essentially makes Miley feel much more at ease than she did before- that is- until she looked outside. They stand atop the escalator that will bring them down to the ground level and all Miley can see are the men in big sweatshirts and jeans with their giant-lensed cameras hanging around their necks. Her mind is queasy and Liam can tell. He drapes his arm around her shoulder and pulls her close to him so that for just a second, she can close her eyes against the fabric of his cotton t-shirt and take a worthwhile breath. She takes a final glance at the week she's leaving behind and takes a beginner's step towards the life she must learn to face.

When she walks outside she is met with flashes of light and voices shouting her name. They call to her and corral her like sheep and the voices and the lights, the questions, the requests, they pull her back and forth..

"Miley! Miley!"

"Where have you been!"

"Is it true you're leaving Hollywood for good?"

"Are you and Liam getting married?"

"Look this way Miley!"

She looks his way and suddenly, she sees everything. She sees who she was, who she wants to be. She sees the girl in a blonde wig who wanted this life more than anything in the world and the troubled one who would do everything to give it up. She sees her parents, as a whole, and Liam, as her second half, and the career she has sizzling before her, showing her all the magnificent things she can do, pleading her to keep on going. All these things were connected to each other and to her heart and anything outside of this world she has built for herself is unimportant. Everything else just serves to be a distraction.

"Please move," she says and pushes through the cameras and the crowd. "Move!" she tells them and they do in shock of her boldness. Miley was never one to be pushed around but somewhere in this city she lost her ability to stand up tall while everyone else was trying to squish her down. Slowly but surely, she is gaining that right back.

An airport attendant whistles to a taxi and it quickly pulls up to the curb. Amidst the sounds of cameras clicking and lights flashing around them, the man puts their luggage in the trunk and opened up the door for them.

His face is old, yet bright and heartening. As he holds the door open for her to slide in next to Liam, he smiles with a warm, toothy grin. "Good to have you back, Miss Cyrus."

_What took me so long?_  
_ I was looking outside_  
_ As if Love would ever want to hide_  
_ I'm finding I was wrong_

"Hello," the driver greets them in a thick Latin-accent, "Where you wanna go?"

"Toluca Lake," Liam says but fades out. "Wait a minute… aren't you from Tijuana? From the boat?"

Miley leans forward and gasps, "Rocio!"

Rocio turns around in his seat and laughs, "Ay chicos!" He takes Miley's hand and shakes it with tears building in his eyes.

"What are you doing here, man?" Liam asks.

"I listen to what you said! I talk to mi papá! I sold the boat and he sold his bar and together we moved here. We found jobs in taxi service. We have great things before us!"

"Amazing!" Miley exasperates happily and the irony of it all can't even begin to overshadow the wholeness she feels. If a few kind words to a man miles upon miles away can turn his life around for the better, and essentially make its way back to her own happiness, what more good deeds is she capable of? Why stop there?

They start to drive off onto the Interstate and into the blazing sunset over the hills of Hollywood that welcomes them into a warm embrace. Miley looks around and smiles. Los Angeles may be her home right now, but it doesn't have to be forever. She is not stuck here. She is not a celebrity forced to be in the limelight for the rest of her life. She can do what she wants with her life. Nobody is here to make her do otherwise, she has the power to make these choices for herself. She was foolish to think that she had to travel far away to find herself- or to find the person she wanted to become. _Your treasure-your perfection-is within you_. It may be deep in your soul, or in the folds of your overactive brain, but it's there. And it's up to you to reveal it, not to go searching for it.

Miley lifts her bag to her lap and sifts through it. She pulls out her book and smiles. _Eat, Pray, Love._ After this trip, it looks pretty old. There are some unknown marks and stains on it and there's some sand stuck in the crevices of the binding. She opens it at the most worn and torn looking tab she had put on the pages that inspire her. It was the first quote she had read from it, as she sat on the ground in the small bookstore she had found herself in so many days before.

_"When you're lost in those woods, it sometimes takes you a while to realize that you are lost. For the longest time, you can convince yourself that you've just wandered off the path, that you'll find your way back to the trailhead any moment now. Then night falls again and again, and you still have no idea where you are, and it's time to admit that you have bewildered yourself so far off the path that you don't even know from which direction the sun rises anymore."_

But this time is different. She isn't lost in the woods anymore- she's just found her way out. She's stepped out of the shadows and filled her lungs with nature's fresh breath and she's walking on life's path now. The darkness of the night has moved past her and the sun before her is opening up a world of chances, love, and action. Soon she'll be back in the recording studio or on the set of a new movie, and she'll be doing what she loves solely for the purpose of making herself be consumed by happiness.

She closes the book and scoots closer to Liam. He himself is even looking illuminated with hope and excitement at the face of a brand new life, a brand new day.

"To me, home is wherever you are," he whispers in her ear. She smiles through closed eyes and snuggles closer to him and he kisses her head softly.

As they arrive at a familiar rode, she spots her house behind the gate that shields it from the outside world. She smiles at it, thinking about a warm home-made meal and her own soft bed and the moments of quiet she has the ability to spend in it. As the taxi comes to a stop, they all get out. Rocio and Liam go to the trunk for their luggage as Miley stands in front of her house with her hands in her pockets, the book tucked under her arm, her hair dancing in the wind. A strong feeling of peace is winding its way through her veins. She removes the book from her side and stares at it.

She takes the money for the taxi ride and sticks it between the pages of the book. She hands it to him. "Here you go, Rocio." He looks at her questioningly but she persuades him to take it with a kind smile. "I hope this helps you and your family as much as it helped me."

They say goodbye and finally, move forward. They drag their bags down the driveway as the sun, a blazing ball of fire, sinks down the darkening blue sky. She carries her luggage through the front door. She's home.

_You shattered my darkness  
Washed away my blindness  
Now I'm breathing in and breathing out  
__**I'm alive again**_


End file.
